Burglary suspect shot and killed by police at travel plaza

Fatal shooting at Maryland House [Video]

Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley gives an update from the scene of a police-involved fatal shooting at the Maryland House rest stop on Interstate 95 early Friday morning. (David Anderson/Aegis video)

Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley gives an update from the scene of a police-involved fatal shooting at the Maryland House rest stop on Interstate 95 early Friday morning. (David Anderson/Aegis video)

Police shot and killed a burglary suspect Friday morning at the Maryland House Travel Plaza after a high-speed chase along I-95.

Police said officers shot Rajsaun A. McCray, 29, multiple times as he drove his vehicle toward police cars blocking the onramp to the travel plaza.

"In fear for their lives and the lives of their fellow police officers, three state troopers and one Aberdeen officer fired their agency-issued pistols at the suspect," State Police Spokesman Greg Shipley said in a statement.

McCray — whose last known address was in the 3600 block of Horner Place SE in Washington, D.C. — was later pronounced dead at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, police said. An autopsy will be conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Responding to report a burglary about 2:30 a.m. Friday, Aberdeen officers saw McCray fleeing a Target store in a red Dodge Caliber, police said. McCray did not stop and rammed his car into an Aberdeen police vehicle, injuring an officer and disabling the cruiser, police said.

The pursuit continued along both northbound and southbound Interstate 95 as state police joined the chase. At one point, McCray's vehicle traveled off the side of the road and up an embankment before he turned around, police said.

Shipley said the injured Aberdeen officer was taken to Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace with injuries to his arm. He was released from the hospital Friday morning.

McCray had been scheduled to appear in court in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Friday to attend a conference on three pending burglary cases that he had been charged in, according to Heather Stone, a spokeswoman for the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.

Until about noon, numerous police vehicles remained clustered on the entrance ramp Maryland House ramp as the investigation continued. The ramp remained closed until about 1 p.m.

Several employees of the combined Sunoco gas station, convenience store and Elevation Burger restaurant, located near the ramp where the shooting occurred, said business was slow mid-Friday morning while the exit from I-95 South remained closed.

Brittney Ogle, the assistant manager, who lives in Delaware, said she was thankful the suspect had been stopped on the ramp before he got to the gas station parking lot.

"I'm glad that they didn't come up here," she said.

State police have identified the troopers and officers involved in the shooting.

Maryland State Police troopers who fired their Glock .40 caliber pistols were identified as Sgt. Edginel Torres, a 10-year veteran, Trooper First Class Daniel Rumaker, a five-year veteran, and Trooper Duane Freeman, a one-year veteran. All three troopers are assigned to the JFK Highway Barracks in Cecil County.

The Aberdeen Police Department officer who fired his .45 caliber Glock pistol was identified as Sgt. Richard Clark, a 16-year veteran of the agency.

The troopers and the Aberdeen officer have been placed on administrative leave by their respective departments, which is routine in police-involved shootings.

The Maryland House remained opened throughout the incident, said Cheryl Sparks, director of communications with the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The Maryland House reopened in January after being closed for more than a year for renovations.

The incident is the second time this week state troopers have fatally shot a suspect. On Tuesday, a man was shot by state troopers in Salisbury after authorities said he struck and dragged a trooper with his car while trying to flee.

Allan Vought of the Baltimore Sun Media Group contributed to this report.

Jim Bender, who works at Bommel Harley-Davidson in Annapolis and travels frequently up and down Interstate 95, said his trip Friday morning was not affected by the Maryland House closure following a fatal shooting. (David Anderson/Aegis video)